▹You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters.
The school day was drawing to an end, a lull had settled in the classroom, the clock ticking seemed to get louder with each movement of the hands. His students stared at him blankly, all interest that had in the lesson waining as only a few minutes remained of the day, of the week and then they were free to enjoy their weekends unburdened by the need to learn in a stuffy classroom. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, drawing his attention away from the board. He ignored it, he couldn't exactly ask his students not to use their phones and then get his out, even if there was only a few minutes left. He finished writing the assignment up and then turned to the class.
❝And the moment you've all been waiting for, class is dismissed. Assignment is due in two weeks and I you have any questions, you know where to find me ❞
The classroom filled with murmurs and the sound of chairs scrapping agains the floor as the classroom slowly shuffled out, eager to be free from the college if only for the weekend. Devin let out a sigh and returned to his desk, organising the mess that had accumulated throughout the day. It was a habit, he'd finish the day tidying up his mess and swear to himself that he'd not let it get so out of hand but at the end of the next day he'd be doing it all over again. As he shuffled his papers into a more presentable stack he remembered his phone had buzzed earlier and he had yet to check his messages. Discarding all thoughts of tidying up, Devin flopped into his chair and pulled out his phone. He was expecting a text from a friend, maybe his sister or some kind of promotional spam but his brows furrowed at the notification from a blocked number.
He opened the message, curiosity would never allow him to ignore something like this and was surprised by the invitation that now flashed onto his screen.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 . . . presented by...
He read the first part out loud, but the information on who was hosting was missing and only added another question to the many that where forming in his mind. He read on, his voice echoing around the empty classroom.
❛ come celebrate with us on the TWENTIETH OF JUNE as we welcome the 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞. follow the lit path into the woods at 4:50PM to the bonfire in the clearing. there will be vendors, food, and drink provided. music, fun, celebration, and prayer for the better, warmer, and longer days ahead. this is a private invitation. join us. ❜
His curiosity turned to a feeling he couldn't describe. Intrigue? Unease? Both perhaps?.The words themselves held no ill meaning, it was a pleasant invitation that in any other situation wouldn't even raise eyebrows or questions. But this was Helltown and nothing here went without a questioning look, nothing here was done without a reason.
He stared at the screen, reading and rereading the message the words soon memorised so he know longer had to look at the text, yet he couldn't take his eyes away. This wasn't being held by the town, he could deduce that much by the anonymity but any clues as to who was organising it were not inherently obvious. In terms of the private invitation part, that had baffled him more than the invite itself. Why had they invited him?
Whatever the reasoning behind him receiving an invite, whoever had orchestrated this, Devin knew the answers may be at the event itself. He's spent months investigating on the side, deep in town history and books as he tried to answer the questions that haunted the town. But could it really be as simple as joining whomever it was, in the woods, to celebrate the solstice?
